Truck stabilizer package unit



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*TRUCK STABILIZER PACKAGE UNIT `lam. 5, 1954 2v Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 30, 1949 INVENTOR.

CQzes' 2,0 lees@ Jam 5, 1954 c. P. LEEsE TRUCK STB:[LIZER PACKAGE UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 50, 1949 INVENTOR. M45 PJ-552? Patented Jan. 5, 1954 TRUCK STABILIZER PACKAGE UNIT Charles P. Leese, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Standard Car Truck Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 30, 1949, Serial No. 107,812

1 Claim.

My invention relates t a railway car truck stabilizer in the form of a pre-assembly of various springs and cooperating friction elements adapted to be installed in the truck as a unitary structure.

One of the objects of my invention is the pro'- vision of a self-contained stabilizer unit assembly for use in railway car trucks, the said unit assembly including load supporting springs and friction means for damping the movement of said springs.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a stabilizer unit, as above described, which is adapted for installation either as original equipment or as a conversion unit suitable for converting existing non-stabilized trucks into stabilized trucks by simply removing the load springs from the truck and inserting, in the place occupied by said springs, the applicants improved unitary or package form of stabilizer.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an assembly of the foregoing type in which the damping action on the load springs of the truck is eiected by friction means acting independently of the load springs, but which progressively increases Athe damping action in proportion to the compression of the load springs.

Other and further objects of my invention will become apparentofrom the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a railway car truck embodying the invention, the View being taken longitudinally of the truck.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the invention.

Fig. a is a side elevational view thereof partly in section, the section being taken substantially online 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view partly in section, the section being taken substantially on Vline 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1-5, the improved stabilizer unit is indicated generally by the numeral lil and is shown as incorporated in the side frame of a railway truck. The truck frame is of generally conventional construction and includes a compression member i l, a tension member l2 and integral vertical columns I3, The vertical columns form with the members li and l2 a bolster window I4 with the tension member l2, in the specific form of frame shown being widened to provide a spring seat l 5 of suitable width. vThe compression member Il 2 is provided with a brake hanger bracket shown at I6. The structure hereinabove described is conventional and may be varied as may be desired Without affecting the principles of the present invention.

The present invention is concerned particularly with the railway car truck stabilizer package unit l0. The said unit is a self-contained assembly and may be installed in railway trucks, such as hereinabove described, either as original equipment or as a replacement assembly for conventional load spring groups. The improved stabilizer unit l0 includes upper and lower spring plates 4l and 42 respectively, each provided with retaining iianges 43 to prevent displacement of the double coiled load springs i4 disposed between the said plates. Secured to -the lower plate 42 as by rivets 50 is a casing 45 having side walls 46 and end walls 41. The bottom 48 of the casing 45 is provided with integral laterally extending wings 49--49 which are perforated to accommodate the rivets 50. The bottom 48 of the casing is provided with two spaced bosses 5I, each of which serves to locate and retain one end of a stabilizer spring 52, two of such springs being provided. The side Walls 46 oI" the casing 45 are slotted substantially medially thereof as at 53 yto accommodate a pin 54. Welded to the inner faces of each of the end walls 41 of the casing 45 is a Wear plate 5E.

Secured to the under side of the upper spring plate 4 l, as by rivets 5l, is an intermediate wedge member 5B shaped in transverse cross-section substantially as shown in Fig. 5. The said intermediate wedge member 53 cooperates with the stabilizing springs to urge the friction wedges laterally against ythe wear plates 4'l-4'l. To this end central Wedge member is provided with a depending V-shaped portion forming opposed wedge surfaces 59. Integrally connected with the V-shaped portion 53 is a U-shaped lportion or loop 6l which is located substantially in alignment with the vertical slots 53 in the side walls 4B and is adapted to receive the pin 54 which is passed through the slots 53 and through the U-shaped portion 6| to retain the parts of the package unit in assembled relation. The U- shaped section 6I is disposed centrally of the intermediate wedge member 58, while the surfaces of the V-shaped portion of wedge 58 extend substantially across the width of the interior of the casing 45.

Arranged on opposite sides of the intermediate iioating wedge member 58 are friction wedges 62 shaped in cross-section substantially as shown in Fig. 5. The said friction wedges each include a vertical wall 63 engageable with the exposed face of a wear plate 56, a top portion 64 from which depends a boss 66 aligned with a boss 5i of the casing 45 so as to locate and retain a stabilizer spring 52 therebetween, and an inclined wall 61 complementary to the wedge surface 59 of the wedge member 5 8. The inclined wall is St1ied as at 68 l.to accommodate the U.shaped portion 6I.

In the assembling of the stabilizer unit, the stabilizer springs 52 are partially compressed, so that the friction wedges 62-62 are continuously urged upwardly and are caused to bear against the wear plates 56-56 at the ends of the casi-ng 45. The pressure of the vertical walls 63--63 of the friction wedges 62-62 against the wear plates 56-56 is determined by the angle of inclination of the cooperating wedge surfaces and also by the pressure of the stabilizer springs A52- 52 against the friction wedges {i2-(i2, YIt will be apparent that when a load is .applied to the upper spring plate 4l, as when a bolster is resting thereon, the load springs 44 are vcompressed and the central Vwedge member 58 is moved downwardly. This effects a corresponding movement of the friction wedges 62-.-82 and compresses the stabiliser springs 52-,52 which, with each increment of compression, eXert a progressively increasing Aforce upwardly against the friction wedges (i2-62, thereby progressively increasing the frietonal resistance between the friction Wedges 62-52 and the weer plates 5B1-,56. Thus, in the event that a shock load is transmitted to the unit, resistance to downward movement of the load ,springs 44 'is progressively increased with enen increment of movement thereof. Correspondingly, with a decrease `of the `load on the unit, xthe lfrictional resistance between the friction Wedges .B2-6 2 and the wear plates 56-.56 is progressively .reduced with eaeh increment of recoil movement.

The structure 'hereinabove described is preassembled es a package unit and is intended to be installed in the truck o f a railway car in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. When the stabilizer unit is installed in a bolster Window of a side frame, the heads o f rivets 5D project into openings formed in the tension .Inetpber i2 and serve to properly lock the package unit in the side frame v and to prevent accidental movement of the package unit relative to the side frame of the truck.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a novel package unit stabilizer is provided which is readily adapted for installation in railway car trucks of conventional construction, the said stabilizer unit providing progressively increased frictonal pressure to increase the damping action in relation 'to the compression of the load springs.

I claim:

A package stabilizer unit adapted to be interposed between a truck bolster and a side frame of the truck comprising, in combination, upper .and `lower spring plates, a plurality of load supporting VVSprings arranged between said plates, a casing open at the top and supported on said lower spring plates, said casing having opposed vertical friction surfaces and having vertical slots in opposed Walls thereof, a friction wedge engageable with each of said friction surfaces, a vcentral wedge depending from said upper spring plate and adapted .to cooperate with said friction wedges to effect lateral movement thereof against said friction surfaces, a stabilizer spring associated with each of said friction wedges and adapted to urge said friction Wedges upwardly against said central wedge and into frictional engagement with said ,friction surfaces, a loop depending from .said central Wedge and arranged substantially in alignment with said slots and a pin extending through said loop and said slot and adapted to lmaintain savid stabilizing spring in partially compressed condition and to limit the movement o f said plates in a direction away from eachother.

CHARLES P. LEESE References lCited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PA'IENTS Number Name Date 2,295,548 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,365,199 Light Dec. 19, 1944 2,390,110 Light Dec. 4, 1945 2,398,700 Edstrorn Apr. 16, 1946 2,398,750 Light Apr. 16, 1946 2,483,172 Bachman c Sept. 2'7, 1949 2,483,181 Clasen Sept. 27, 1949 2,483,184 Cottrell Sept. 27, 1949 

